1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for detecting tangling of articles in an automatic clothes washer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automatic clothes washers are ubiquitous. Such appliances clean fabric items effectively, enabling the homeowner to complete other tasks or engage in more satisfying activities while doing the laundry. Modern clothes washers provide a multitude of options for matching a selected cleaning operation to the type of fabric comprising the laundry load and the degree of soiling of the laundry load. This includes setting a liquid level appropriate to the size and fabric type of the laundry load. Modern clothes washers also include sophisticated controllers that are programmed to maximize cleaning efficiency while minimizing water and power consumption. However, despite the capabilities of the modern clothes washer, the appliance remains limited in its ability to detect tangling and then adjust the wash cycle based on real-time information relating to the fabric items being washed.
One type of conventional automatic clothes washer may be provided with a drive motor, generally electrically powered, which may be used to drive a cylindrical perforate basket during a spin cycle, and a clothes mover during wash and rinse cycles for agitating the laundry load within the basket.
In a conventional automatic clothes washer, cleaning of the fabric items may be primarily attributable to three factors: chemical energy, thermal energy, and mechanical energy. These three factors may be varied within the limits of a particular automatic clothes washer to obtain the desired degree of cleaning.
The chemical energy relates to the types of wash aids, e.g. detergent and bleach, applied to the fabric items. All other things being equal, the more wash aid used, the greater will be the cleaning effect.
The thermal energy relates to the temperature of the fabric items. The temperature of the wash liquid typically constitutes the source of the thermal energy. However, other heating sources may be used. For example, one known way uses steam to heat the fabric items. All things being equal, the greater the thermal energy, the greater will be the cleaning effect.
The mechanical energy may be attributed to the contact between the clothes mover and the fabric items, the contact between the fabric items themselves, and the passing of the washing liquid through the fabric items. In washing machines with a fabric mover, the fabric mover tends to cause the fabric items to contact themselves, and for the wash liquid to pass through the fabric items. All things being equal, the greater the amount of mechanical energy, the greater will be the cleaning effect.
These three factors may be adjusted to obtain the desired cleaning effect. For example, while the direct contact between the clothes mover and the fabric items may be beneficial for laundering, it does cause greater physical wearing of the fabric items than the other two factors. Thus, for example, for more delicate clothing, it may be desired to reduce the direct contact. However with contemporary washing machines, it has not yet been possible to determine the mechanical energy imparted to the fabric items during the washing process. Thus, contemporary solutions are based on estimates or empirical data, both of which are typically determined based on a set of standard test conditions. Unfortunately, these standard test conditions are not guaranteed to be repeated when the consumer uses the clothes washer, resulting in a compromised cleaning result. It would be advantageous to the overall cleaning performance if the mechanical energy imparted to the fabric items could be determined during the washing process.